Recipe - Mini muffins with a lemon and poppy seed jam center

Back to school already a distant memory: check
Summer holidays that seem like a distant mirage: check
Winter fatigue and ailments are fast approaching: check
The end-of-year rush has begun (and yes, it seems Christmas is already upon us): check

Stop! Let's take a deep breath and imagine ourselves for a moment in a green and peaceful setting (and why not in Provence, while we're at it!), with a sweet, warm scent floating in the air... Ah, there we are, already feeling a little more relaxed :)

As for the setting and the calm, I don't know, but for olfactory awakening, I have the solution: I'm talking about mini lemon heart muffins! A quick trip to the kitchen is in order, but you'll see, it's simple, quick and above all terribly effective.

Ingredients for 12 mini muffins :
- 120g of flour
- 60g of sugar
- 1/2 packet of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 60g of melted butter
- 1 egg
- 100ml of milk
- Roumanière lemon jam
- poppy

Steps
- Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Add the beaten egg, butter and milk and mix quickly so as not to overwork the dough.
- Pour the mixture into the mini muffin tins until they are one-third full.
- Next, add a generous teaspoon of Roumanière lemon jam to each cavity.
- Cover with the remaining dough up to 3/4 of the way up each mold (no more, as they will rise, so let's avoid them overflowing!)
- Sprinkle with poppy seeds
- Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes at 180°C (don't hesitate to check regularly)

Small and delicious, these mini muffins combine the sweet softness of cake and the tangy taste of lemon.

As always, we offer a few tips to add a twist to the recipe:
We said "mini" muffins, but you can obviously make them the regular size. In that case, the preparation remains the same; just remember to use a tablespoon of jam instead of a teaspoon and extend the baking time to 25 minutes.
- Lemon not your favorite flavor? You can easily replace it with another jam of your choice! Red berries, yellow berries, citrus fruits, or even more indulgent recipes: let your imagination run wild!
- Conversely, if you love the acidity of lemon: consider adding fine lemon zest to the preparation to give even more zest to this dessert.
- Don't have poppy seeds on hand? No problem: you can obviously do without them or opt for slivered almonds or crushed hazelnuts as a topping.

So, have you tried our recipe? We hope you enjoyed this little snack with its summery, Provençal notes as much as we did! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.